15 Ways to Repurpose Detergent Bottles

There are tons of ways to reuse those plastic laundry detergent bottles once they’re empty. All it takes is a little creativity. Here are just some great ideas that you can try out from Wise Bread:

Sharps Disposer: when you have to throw sharp things away, it’s safer to throw them into a container like a detergent bottle so that you don’t run the risk of injury (to yourself or to others) by tossing them in a garbage bag.

They sell sharps containers in the stores, and they run anywhere from a few bucks to several hundred dollars for a two-gallon size. But why bother spending any money? Take an empty detergent bottle, secure the lid to the base with strong tape, and cut a small slot in the top. You now have a safe place to keep your sharps. When it’s full, seal the slot and dispose of it safely.

Toddler Tool Box: use these empty bottle to create a fun toolbox for your little ones to carry around.

Watering Can: these work just as well as the pricey ones from the store. Simply wash out, poke small holes in the lid with a metal skewer, fill with water and tighten the lid.

A Scoop or Funnel: clean out your bottle and use it as a scoop for cat litter, fertilizer, etc. You can even use bigger ones as dustpans. Also:

You can […] use a straight cut across the middle to create a funnel, which can be handy for pouring paint into smaller containers.

Free Weights: you can use a bunch of these as a practically free set of weights. Just fill them with different amounts of sand to create a set of varying weights to use for working out at home.

Swimming Floats: clean these out and remove the labels to create effective floats to help little ones in the pool.

Piggy Bank: after you clean the bottle, just screw the top on tight and cut a slot in it that’s big enough to fit coins in. Then you can paint and decorate as you or your kids wish!

You can duct tape the lid onto the bottle to deter people from dipping into the fund. And if you want it to be really tough to open, apply some super glue around the spout and screw on the lid. The only way you can get it open now is to cut it open. When you do, if it’s full, you’ll have quite the spending spree to go on.